WHAT WE LEARN
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9 (NLT)
While meditating and praying about this week’s devotionals, my thoughts kept returning to one larger question: How does heaven help me now? To truly understand that, we should revisit the questions from the past four or five weeks of devotions. All of it leads us to today’s focus—What we learn. Are we ready? Are we living for heaven, knowing what lasts forever and what we will do there? To see how heaven helps us now, we must reflect on these questions. As believers, heaven is already around us—God breathes in us, blessings flow daily, and when we say, Help me, Jesus, we call on Heaven’s help.
When we learn to love and be loved, heaven helps us now. When we develop community and genuine relationships, heaven helps us now. When we serve others with no expectations, heaven helps us now. When we are obedient with our resources, Heaven’s help is here for us now. “May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Heaven helps us now by living out the opportunities He has given us.
In today’s Scripture, Paul encourages us to live out what he taught in the name of Jesus Christ—teachings that show us how to live as part of the kingdom of heaven. Not just in words but lived out for others to see. Be the example of what a citizen of heaven looks like and share with others the hope of heaven.
APPLICATION: Ask yourself the questions mentioned today about where you are right now about heaven. Then ask the Spirit to show you how heaven is helping you today, how you can live that out, and how you can share it with others you encounter.
PRAYER: Father, remind me today of the presence of heaven around me in others, in their actions, in my own actions and help me now be the member of heaven You created me to be. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.
"… Our Father in heaven…" Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
• What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
"… may your name be kept holy." Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
• What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
"May your Kingdom come soon." Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
• Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
"Give us today the food we need," Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
• Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I'm around today?
"and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us" Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
• Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
"And don't let us yield to temptation…" Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
• Is there anywhere I'm vulnerable to temptation?